The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for remotely communicating with specific electrical and mechanical components in a vehicle in order to access, monitor and control certain functions of the vehicle. The present invention also provides a method and apparatus for communicating with specific electrical and mechanical components in order to access, monitor and control certain functions of equipment, system features and equipment accessories.
Remote control devices which disable certain functions of automobiles are in the prior art. These devices are integrated into car alarms and carjacking/theft deterrent systems, and allow a person whose car has been stolen to call the stolen automobile using a telephone or, in some cases, a pager in order to inform the theft deterrent system that the automobile has been stolen. The theft deterrent system will then disable the automobile, such as by stopping the motor. In these prior art systems, a hard-wired network of wires connects an antenna to a controller, and the controller to a solenoid or other switch which, when activated or deactivated as the case may be, causes one of the automobile""s functions to be disabled. As a typical example, the theft deterrent system of the prior art will cause the automobile""s engine to stop running. In these prior art systems, the focus is on stopping the automobile as soon as possible so that a thief will not go far and the automobile will be recovered swiftly.
Other prior art systems use cellular phone technology to transmit a signal to open locked doors, as a service to customers who have locked their keys in the automobile.
In marked contrast to the prior art, one object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for communicating in a wireless manner with specific components in a vehicle in order to access, monitor, control, disable and/or enable certain functions in the vehicle.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus which permits a loan agency, credit agency, rental agency, law enforcement agency, or any other agency which wishes to have some control and/or monitoring capability over the vehicle, to access, monitor, control, and/or deliver information to/from a vehicle.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which can access, monitor, control, disable, and/or enable functions of a vehicle, and/or deliver information to/from the vehicle, and which is virtually impossible to detect or locate.
These and other objects of the present invention are achieved by an apparatus for providing communication between a vehicle and a remote communication station, said apparatus being mounted in the vehicle and comprising a master control unit for communicating over a first wireless interface with the communication station; and at least one slave unit, said slave unit controlling a function in the vehicle and communicating over a second wireless interface with said master control unit, wherein at least one of said first and second wireless communication interfaces is a two-way wireless communication interface.
Objects of the present invention are also achieved by an apparatus for providing two-way communication between a vehicle and a remote communication station, said apparatus being mounted in the vehicle and comprising a transceiver for receiving an incoming signal from a communication station and transmitting an outgoing signal to the communication station; a first controller, connected to said transceiver, for determining whether said incoming signal includes a predetermined signal and, if so, for instructing a transmission of a command; a wireless transmitter, connected to said first controller, for transmitting the command; and at least one slave unit, said slave unit including a first receiver for receiving said command transmitted by said wireless transmitter, and a second controller, connected to said first receiver, for controlling a function of the vehicle in response to said command.
These and other objects of the present invention are also achieved by an apparatus for providing two-way communication between a vehicle and a remote communication station, said apparatus being mounted in the vehicle and comprising a first receiver for receiving an incoming signal from a communication station; a first controller, connected to said first receiver, for determining whether said incoming signal includes a predetermined signal and, if so, for. instructing a transmission of a command; a first wireless transceiver, connected to said first controller, for transmitting said command and for receiving a message; and at least one slave unit, said slave unit including a second wireless transceiver for receiving said command transmitted by said first wireless transceiver and for transmitting said message, and a second controller, connected to said second wireless transceiver, for controlling a function of the vehicle in response to said command.
The objects of the present invention are also achieved by an apparatus for providing two-way communication between a vehicle and a remote communication station, said apparatus being mounted in the vehicle and comprising a transceiver for receiving an incoming signal from a communication station and transmitting an outgoing signal to the communication station; a first switch for enabling or disabling a function of the vehicle;
a first wireless transmitter; a controller, connected to said transceiver, to said first switch, and to said first wireless transmitter, for determining whether said incoming signal includes a predetermined signal and, if so, for performing at least one of: controlling said switch in order to enable or disable the function and transmitting a command via said first wireless transmitter; and at least one slave unit, said slave unit including a wireless receiver for receiving said command transmitted by said first wireless transmitter, and a second controller, connected to said wireless receiver, for controlling a function of the vehicle in response to said command.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from a review of the detailed description and accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the description and examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present invention, are not intended to limit the breadth of the invention since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art.